At the four day summer school the 34 participants from 15 universities among the Pacific Rim were discussing the multi-disciplinary approach of disaster science and got practical policy insights from the community level to the the global level.

Disaster preparedness of universities was another topic which was intensively discussed at the meeting. The APRU Multi-Hazards Program conducted last year a survey among the member universities and presented its results. The group made suggestions how a disaster preparedness plan at a university should look like and what has to be done to implement it.

Researchers from IRIDeS and from APRU member universities as well as other institutions among the Pacific Rim presented their latest research results and helpful tools and models to prepare for disasters. Representatives from local communities were talking about their challenges and experiences in managing the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and its impact. Finally, the participants analyzed national inputs from each continent declared at the first session of the Preparatory Meeting of the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.